Five Ways, Birmingham facts for kids
Five Ways is a lively area in the middle of Birmingham, England. It gets its name from a big road junction. This junction is now a busy roundabout with special underground walkways for people. It's located southwest of the city centre. Here, the Birmingham Middle Ring Road meets the start of the A456 (Hagley Road).
History of Five Ways
The name "Five Ways" has been around since 1565. Back then, roads leading to Harborne and Halesowen met here. Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, who lived in Five Ways until 1785, said the name came from five roads meeting at this spot.
The roads at Five Ways stopped being "turnpiked" in 1841. This meant people no longer had to pay to use them. The famous King Edward VI Five Ways School used to be here. It later moved to Bartley Green.
The Five Ways railway station is on the Cross-City Line. It first opened in 1884. It closed in 1944 but reopened in 1978. The old station building is still there and is now used as offices. The West Midlands Metro tram system also goes through Five Ways. It travels from the city centre along Broad Street.
On June 4, 1862, a special statue was revealed. It was a memorial to Joseph Sturge. This statue even had drinking fountains built into it. About 12,000 people came to see it. The artist was John Thomas. He also worked on the old King Edward's Grammar School.
In 2006 and 2007, the statue was cleaned up. This was done for the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. A special event was held on March 24, 2007, to celebrate. A sign was put up to tell people about Joseph Sturge's life. The statue is now a Grade II listed building. This means it is an important historic building.
Buildings and Architecture
Many interesting buildings are found at Five Ways. One is the Lloyds Bank building. It was designed by Philip Chatwin in 1908-1909. The Marriott Hotel is also here. It was built in 1957. This building is now a locally listed building.
Five Ways is a big business area in Birmingham. It started growing in the early 1960s. This happened as Birmingham's business centre moved west. Landowners called Calthorpe Estates helped build many tall buildings here.
One of the first big buildings was Five Ways Shopping Centre. Above it is Auchinleck House. This area has shops and an indoor market. Auchinleck House is a 10-storey building with offices. It was finished in 1962. It used to have a cool mural by Trewin Copplestone that lit up at night.
Other tall buildings built later include:
- Five Ways Tower
- Tricorn House
- Metropolitan House (also known as 1 Hagley Road)
New Developments
The Department for Work and Pensions has offices at Five Ways. The old Birmingham Children's Hospital site is now Broadway Plaza. This is a fun entertainment complex. It was finished in the early 2000s and cost £80 million. It has places for fun, shopping, and homes.
Nearby is a big Cineworld cinema with 12 screens. It also has restaurants, clubs, and a casino. A historic pub called 'The Bull's Head' was also restored.
In 2012, plans were made to turn Auchinleck House into a hotel. It became the Park Regis Hotel. This was the first Park Regis hotel in Europe. Work started in 2014 and cost £50 million. A new glass sky bar and restaurant were added to the roof. The four-star hotel opened on March 29, 2016. A Japanese restaurant called Rofuto also opened on the 16th floor.
In 2014, No.1 Hagley Road (Metropolitan House) was bought. It was turned into 271 apartments. All the apartments sold very quickly. This work was finished in March 2016. The Broadway building at Five Ways was also bought and redeveloped. Parts of it were turned into 250 apartments.
In 2017, permission was given to build St Martin's Place. This is a 17-storey building with 228 luxury apartments. It was finished in 2021. It is the first place in Birmingham to offer hotel services to residents.
